Wednesday 25 February 2015

Envoys of Russ

I made these guys to encapsulate the idea of 40k baroqueness compared to cadian 40k utilitarianism.

It should be noted also that this warband  is also paying homage to Migsulas sterling work on Vyka Fenryka on  the rather impressive Iron sleet  - i like to think of them as diplomatic human envoys- maybe housecarls of fenris on a mission of atonement or  for breaking the Witherlogh (Lex Castrensis)
- I actually only wanted to make a couple but got a bit carried away with my wolf bits box ;-)

it would be fair to say the intention was to also capture humans wearing powered armour and power armour backpacks  - now we have the option of using larger space marines in skirmish games quite easily i thought it would be suitable to start making use of human scaled power armour - i know to some folks the idea of space marine style power armour is for Astartes only - but for me power armour has always being ascribable to humans - like in this picture by John Blanche of the tyranid hunting Kryptman or in the rules of Confrontation.


















 KrakenHanden
aka





Hirdsman Sigvat the skald




 Fenrisian Rune shaman RavensClaw & Gun wolf



 KnightBlades of the wolf Elite Human Bodygaurds wearing power armour torsos
 Failed space wolf Aspirants ?







Huskarlar husbondsmen Captain Olaf Heimpgar & Sergeant trellborg of the wolf Brigade










 Speaking of Homages .. I also made a squat adventurer ala Mikko
and a Khornate aspirant Skull collector ala Krautscientist






15 comments:

  1. Lovely stuff! So odd yet still very much 40k ;) the gun wolf is inspired.

    Njarl has a tiny lock on him, very is that bit from? Ormeshiem sounds almost like snakehome in swedish :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks again Alexander - the lock that is on the guy with the staff ( Sigvat the skald ;-) ) if that's the one you are talking about is from the newish space marine librarian - the plastic clamshell one

      Delete
    2. That's the one. Thanks mate!

      Delete
  2. Very cool and inspiring stuff, Neil! This blows my mind and makes me smiling today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words Logan - I am glad you like them - some work better than other s i think - my personal favourite is sergeant trellborg - the guy with the long bayoneted archeotec lasrifle - he reminds me of a shako wearing Napoleonic steampunk gent - or very nearly a plastic vostroyan.

      Delete
  3. That is an absolutely spectacular update, Neil! Those housecarls and retainers are just wonderful (and they are giving migs a run for his money, if you ask me ;) ). I especially love Sigvat the skald and the guys based on the running DC cultists (although the Astartes power packs may just be a bit much for my taste).

    That Cadian is just perfect as well! And I am really honoured, both by the Khornate model you're building and by being awarded an "iconic visual style" by you over at the Ammobunker! ;)

    Fantastic work all around!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks mate - Sigvats hat was personal fave of mine -- somewhat inspired by
      this guy http://www.tradecardsonline.com/img/cards/horus-heresy/323/big/83.jpg

      btw thanks for linking that artist form the bolter and chainsword on your blog - the one who illustrated your mini - i spent a good hour looking through his fantastic blog - !

      I am not sure the khornate model i made does your style justice actually - but it was inspired by your style and wnats to pay homage to it - it set on the road to having fun with gw plastics again as opposed to just fw stuff do thanks for that ! now i just need to get it to You ;-)

      Delete
  4. In general I'm not a big Space Wolf fan but I really like Trellborg, good proportions and look. He looks quite steampunk but still 40k, I could imagine him in some sort of Dystopian Wars style Germanic helm too. Really cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks mate - I agree with you about Trellborg steampunk muttonchops for the win ! he looks easier than he was - but in general i wanted the whole group to be simple to build and simple to paint - i kinda deviated a bit by adding pouches - inspired by PDH - but in general i am really pleased with the group - they are pretty much what i wanted - the shaman was a bonus for me but his arms didnt quite work out properly but i like how his hand mirrors the claw on the cloak- the jarl is actually based on a real person who is the jarl of the Viking group i belonged to when i was a teenager - a really great and humble guy whom i respect a lot - i wanted to him to have gravitas - and i love the idea that he comes from a background of killing kraken on fenris .

      Delete
  5. Stellar work Neil! I love the idea of Fenrisian envoys and failed Space Wolf aspirants. The husbondsmen Olaf and Trellborg are great :) The shooty wolf too!

    Keep them coming Neil :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've been thinking about the use of human-scale power armor a lot myself lately. It seems like a no-brainer that there would be some form of non-Astartes power armor floating around. Putting it next to a true scale Marine really sells the concept. Very cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Cheers Odie -yeah Sometimes its a case of mess with the iconic 40k tropes at your peril - but its such good fun blending and broadening the imagery to suit your mood..

      btw I really enjoyed browsing your blogs last night - some insightful takes on the creative process - not to mention fantastic comic book writing !

      Delete
    2. Oh wow, thanks! That's nice of you to say. I have a lot planned for Heavy Static, including an eventual return to painting and modelling up some Inquisimunda ideas, so please feel free to follow along!

      Delete
    3. Your welcome..Yes heavy static inspired me to start a new post documenting the creative process of my current project - but i realised after two hours of writing i just wouldn't have time to do both -create and blog - so its currently on hold until the process is finished . I look forward to seeing your models in due course - count me as following along.. ;-)

      Delete